Western Classics I

When The Daltons Rode (1940)

Whoopie-yi-ti-yo! Here’s a fine sagebrush saga about the legendary Dalton gang, a group of siblings whose dealings with crooked railroad officials send them into a life of crime. Broderick Crawford, Brian Donlevy, Kay Francis, and Stuart Erwin star, with Randolph Scott as the lawyer who decides to give the clan a fair shake. 81 min. BW/Rtg: NR

The Virginian (1946)

The oft-filmed Owen Wister oater gets the Technicolor treatment, with Joel McCrea taking the title role of the laconic ranch hand who vouches for an old friend (Sonny Tufts), and is faced with difficult choices when his buddy turns out to be under the sway of the ornery rustler Trampas (Brian Donlevy). Sterling sagebrusher co-stars Barbara Britton, Fay Bainter, William Frawley. 90 min. C/Rtg: NR

Whispering Smith (1948)

Alan Ladd is the titular character, an 1800s railroad detective investigating a string of train robberies. A rail company executive fingers employee Murray Sinclair (Robert Preston), Smith’s pal, for looting a wrecked train. After Sinclair is fired, he joins forces with a gangster (Donald Crisp) to continue his criminal activities. Smith must now stop Sinclair, while romantic interest from Sinclair’s wife (Brenda Marshall) complicates matters. With John Eldredge, William Demarest; based on the 1906 novel by Frank H. Spearman. 89 min. C/Rtg: NR